Marine protected areas in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Marine protected areas was 28.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Marine protected areas in Costa Rica, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring. Measured in % of territorial waters.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 28.4% for marine protected areas in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3,450.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marine protected areas in Costa Rica peaked at 29.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2013.
Costa Rica ranks 18th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Marine protected areas in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of territorial waters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.8% | — |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | +225.0% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29.0% | +974.1% |
| 2023 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 28.4% | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 28.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 2.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 2.7% | 29.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 15 Seychelles 32.6% compare
- 16 Northern Mariana Islands 32.4% compare
- 17 New Zealand 30.4% compare
- 19 Denmark 27.1% compare
- 20 Gabon 26.8% compare
- 21 Brazil 26.6% compare
More climate change data for Costa Rica
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,751 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 942.79 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,808 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 688.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 623.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 65.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.35 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.34 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marine protected areas in Costa Rica?
- Marine protected areas in Costa Rica was 28.4% in 2025, according to Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring.
- What is the highest marine protected areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2013.
- How does Costa Rica rank for marine protected areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 18th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is marine protected areas rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3,450.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring, published as part of Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.